Reading can be understood as a progressively deeper form of engagement with written material. Simply being able to recognize words does not necessarily mean that a person understands what is being communicated. A person may read something without understanding it at all, but beyond this is the ability to comprehend the information presented and, ultimately, to look deeper into the writing to understand what may be inferred from it. Reading therefore can become more than the process of receiving information; it can become a means of examining ideas, understanding the perspective of the writer, and discovering information that is not stated directly.
One form of reading is understanding the face value of the material. This means comprehending the information that is directly presented by the writer. For example, in school there can be a distinction between cramming information in order to pass a test and studying the material in order to comprehend it. Although both approaches may allow a person to remember information, giving the material serious consideration can lead to a more meaningful understanding of what is being communicated. Understanding the face value of a text is therefore an important part of reading, but it does not necessarily represent the full extent of what can be learned from it.
A deeper form of engagement with writing occurs when we begin to read through the lens of the writer. Rather than limiting our understanding to what is explicitly stated, we can examine the way the writer communicates and consider what this may reveal about the author's understanding of the subject. This involves paying attention to the writer's choice of information, the way ideas are presented, and the strategy used to communicate them. By doing so, we can begin to understand not only what the writer is saying, but also how the writer thinks about the subject.
This deeper form of reading can be extended through inference and insight into the mind of the writer. The power of inference allows us to obtain additional information by using what is presented to reach conclusions about what has not been explicitly stated. We can seek to understand the author's intentions, goals, persuasion techniques, preferences, and other aspects of the author's thinking. For example, if we read that the details of a patient's life history were recorded, we can infer that the doctor used an interview process to obtain the information being presented. The writing does not necessarily tell us every detail of how the information was obtained, but the information provided allows us to make a reasonable inference. In this way, reading becomes an active process of investigation. We move from simply receiving the words on the page to examining the ideas behind them and considering what else can reasonably be understood from what the writer has communicated.
